NHL Betting Free Picks: Philadelphia @ Chicago
Added on May 31, 2010 by Jack Thurman in
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NHL betting is winding up for the year and sportsbooks will be offering Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers. The Blackhawks took a 1-0 lead with a wild 6-5 win on Saturday, and they’ll try to go up 2-0 here before the series shifts to Philadelphia for Games 3 and 4:
Philadelphia Flyers at Chicago Blackhawks
May 31, 5:05 PM Pacific
Philadelphia and Chicago are #1 and #2 respectively for the best goals against per game in the playoffs, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell it from the 11 goal defensive train wreck in the first game of this series. The goaltending for both teams has been a question mark throughout the season, and it appeared to all come home to roost at once. Both teams finished with 32 shots on goal, and even with those numbers a 6-5 score is borderline insane.
Don’t expect to see more of the same in Game 2. The coaches for both teams will be stressing the importance of defense, and that should be more of a priority in the second game. The Flyers weren’t a great defensive team during the regular season (#14 in goals against per game) but they were very good at limiting opponent’s shots on goal. Philly was #5 in the NHL in shots on goal against per game with 28.6. The Blackhawks, of course, were #1 allowing only 25.1 shots on goal per game. In other words, we look for a better performance by both team’s goaltenders and fewer shots on net as the principles in this game return to their usual defensive form.
Accordingly, we’ll play this game Under the total. The shootout in game 1 gives us good value, with the posted total at 6 flat. The Flyers won the only meeting of the regular season 3-2, and 11 of the last 16 meetings between these teams have gone Under including 5 of the last 8 in Chicago.
Bet Chicago/Philadelphia Under 6 -110
